Sports Fact and Book Rec of the Day 12/14/2007

12/14/1920:
Jack Dempsey knocks out Bill Brennan in the 12th round at Madison Square Garden to retain his heavyweight title before a sold-out crowd of more than 16,000, delighted to watch championship boxing in New York City after it has been assailed as an unsavory sport and banned for the public good in recent years. Brennan gives a marvelous effort before succumbing to the Manassa Mauler's superior punching power. He'll take his $35,000 pay for the fight and open a speakeasy in Manhattan; in 1924, he'll be shot to death in a dispute with ruthless bootleggers.

Birthdays:
Charley Trippi b. 1922
Ernie Davis b. 1939
Stan Smith b. 1946
Anthony Mason b. 1966
Billy Koch b. 1974

YOU’VE NEVER READ HARUKI MURAKAMI?

Murakami is a prose virtuoso, one of an elite band of writers (think Pynchon) who can concoct an outrageous scenario yet never lose control. Lyrical, philosophical, absurd, and unforgettable, Murakami’s writing has a fingerprint all its own. Kafka on the Shore, the story of two runaways whose fates intertwine, is classic, brilliant Murakami.

KAFKA ON THE SHORE, by Haruki Murakami (Vintage, 2006)